VIDEO VIEW ‘The Breakfast Club’ at 30: Detention gets special attention
In celebration of a three-decade birthday, John Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club” received a makeover to acknowledge the continued popularity of the comedy-drama set during a Saturday detention.
The Chicago filmmaker, who also directed favorites such as “Uncle Buck” (1989), “Planes Trains & Automobiles” (1987) and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (1986), wanted to capture the ups and downs of being a young adult in a modern world filled with parental expectations, bullying students and uninvolved teachers.
It touched the lives of viewers when it was released and still does. That’s proven by “The Breakfast Club 30th Anniversary Edition” (DVD, Blu-ray Disc; Digital HD and ultra violet; now available).
In Blu-ray, the title contains extras such as a trivia track, a 12-part documentary (“Sincerely Yours”), commentary by Anthony Michael Hall and Judd Nelson, a featurette (“The Most Convenient Definitions: The Origins of The Brat Pack”) and the theatrical trailer.
The R-rated picture follows five distinct teens — the jock (Emilio Estevez), the princess (Molly Ringwald), the brain (Anthony Michael Hall), the criminal (Judd Nelson) and the basket case (Ally Sheedy) — from different social groups as they reluctantly interact and then discover they have much in common.
An insightful profile of the late John Hughes was crafted by David Kamp in the March 2010 issue of Vanity Fair, and the author touched upon the icon’s style, writing:
“Hughes gave his young stars plenty of latitude to improvise with the cameras running. It was only a 32-day shoot, but he shot more than a million feet of film — par for the course for Martin Scorsese, but unheard of for a low-budget teen picture.”
Kamp also looked at the popularity of the coming-of-age movie, originally titled “Detention,” writing:
“As hoary as it sounds, ‘The Breakfast Club’ spoke to a generation. The elements that grown-ups perceived as ponderous and risible were precisely what made the movie so real to teens.”
And for those seeking a bigger assortment of Hughes’ works can find them on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on “The John Hughes Yearbook Collection.” The set has the 30th anniversary version of “The Breakfast Club,” as well as the favorites “Sixteen Candles” and “Weird Science.”
New arrivals
Titles that recently arrived or soon will land in video outlets include:
“Barbie in Princess Power,” with the toy favorite in her first heroic debut in a super-powered adventure.
“The Beginner’s Bible,” with the original theme song by Kathie Lee Gifford and animated versions of religious stories.
“The Carol Burnett Show: Together Again,” with the TV favorite in three uncut episodes with talents such as Roddy McDowell, Gloria Swanson, Ruth Buzzi, Tim Conway, Lyle Waggoner and Vicki Lawrence.
“The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: Stingers and Zingers,” with 24 roasts including those for Danny Thomas, Michael Landon, Redd Fox, Mr. T, Truman Capote, Jack Klugman and Tony Randall.
“The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts: Hall of Famers,” with baseball greats Hank Aaron and Joe Garagiola preparing for a roasting by sports legends such as Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Stan Musial. Guests include Nipsey Russell, Rich Little, Red Buttons and Orson Welles.
“Grace,” with Sharon Lawrence in an unrated drama about a woman who’s arrested for public drunkenness and is sentenced to six months in jail or 90 meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous.
“Munich,” with Eric Bana and Daniel Craig in director Steven Spielberg’s factual R-rated drama about the Israeli agents dispatched to track down the 11 terrorists believed to have planned the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
“Ships,” with Turkish filmmaker Elif Refig directing an unrated drama in which two people seek to escape the suffocating routine of their daily lives.
“The Tale of the Princess Naguya,” with the voices of Chloe Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen and Lucy Liu in a PG-rated Japanese folk tale about a mysterious young princess who enthralls all who encounter her. A full-length making-of documentary is also included.
“Z Nation: Season One,” with Tom Everett in a three-disc set with 13 episodes from the Syfy channel series about a post-apocalyptic chiller in which zombie attacks can only be stopped via a vaccine.